Stainless Steel Dog Bowls Compared to Other Materials

Stainless steel dog bowls are safe to use because unlike the other materials — ceramic, aluminum, plastic — stainless steel bowls don’t interact with food or water that your dog consumes.

Ceramic Dog Bowls

Take a look, for example, ceramic dog bowls. Sure they are pretty, but they can be hazardous to your dog’s health. The glazes used to coat the dog bowls can contain lead or other harmful chemicals that are a highly potent toxin.

This lead accumulates in the dog’s body and over a long period of use can cause lead poisoning with symptoms ranging from vomiting and diarrhea to seizure and blindness.

The only way for ceramic dog bowls to be safe is if the bowls are fired with high enough temperature during the making. But there is no way you would know that, so it’s better to err on the safe side by not using them at all.

Aluminum Dog Bowls

Most dog parents prefer aluminum dog bowls because they are light and won’t rust. However, in spite of the bowls’ versatility, aluminum bowls can be harmful to your dog.

Aluminum is a neurotoxin that leaches into the dog food and targets the dog’s lung, bones, and central nervous system. Even though not immediately noticeable, but over a long period of use, the effect will start to become apparent.

Plastic Dog Bowls

Plastic bowls can contain a number of dangerous substances; the famous one is BPA.

BPA stands for Bisphenol A (BPA) is a common industrial chemical that is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Both are used to make many plastic products such as plastic bowls, water bottle, dog toys, etc.

So far, no extensive study has been done to quantify the impact of BPA on the dogs’ health. However, for humans, several studies have been conducted.

According to one study from the National Toxicology Program, constant exposure to BPA on humans can lead to multiple health problems, including behavioral problems, cognitive disorders, diabetes, respiratory problems, cancer, and so on.

If BPA possesses such a treat on humans, we can assume it holds the same risk as well to our dogs, if not more.

Even if the chemicals in the plastic bowl proven to be safe, your dog can get still a life-threatening emergency, they can chew the plastic bowl, break it, and ingest chunks of the sharp edge pieces.

Stoneware Dog Bowls

Unless tested on labs, you will never know which stoneware bowls contain lead and which is not; therefore, it’s best to avoid them too.

What are The Other benefits of Stainless Steel Dog Bowls?

You can drop, bang, and step on them, and still, they won’t break. You’ll also have a piece of mind, because unlike the plastic bowls, even if your dog is the most hardcore chewer around the block, they won’t be able to chomp the bowl into pieces.

And they are easy to clean, you can toss them in the dishwater, and there is no risk of them breaking like the plastic or the ceramic bowls would.

That’s not to say that stainless steel bowls are perfect, there are some downsides, of course.

One of the downsides is when heated under the sun, stainless steel bows can boil up faster than any other types of bowls.

Also when you look at them, well, there is not much variations between one brand to the next.

However, suffice to say, stainless steel dog bowl is a better option than the others.

How to Choose the Best Stainless Steel Dog Bowls?

Size

Stainless steel dog bowls come in many different sizes for smaller, medium, to large dogs. You would want to get a dog bowl that has enough capacity to accommodate your dog’s serving size.

Style

Not only sizes, but stainless steel dog bowls also come in different styles and colors. Feel free to choose the one that fits your personal taste.

Safety

For extra safety, you would also want to look for stainless steel bowls that have been tested for lead, mercury, and cadmium.

Convenience

For convenience, we would also like to look for some additional functionality features such as the non-skid bottom, handles on the side, and lids to cover the dog’s leftover food.

Different Types of Dog Bowl

Today’s stainless steel dog bowls have been created with different techniques and design to serve different purposes. Three types of dog bowl that we will cover here are:

1.Basic Dog Bowl

This is the dog bowl that you often see in the pet section at your local department store.

2. Slow-Feed Dog Bowl

Slow-feed dog bowl is used to prevent your dog from eating their foods to quickly.

This bowl is a good option for dogs that are prone to bloat also called gastric dilation volvulus, a severe condition that can be deadly in dogs.

Any dog can have bloat, but it’s much more commonly seen in large, deep-chested dogs like German Shepherds.

3. Elevated Dog Bowl

The elevated dog bowl consists of some stand to raise it off the floor. This bowl is beneficial for older dogs with arthritis, orthopedic conditions, and spinal or joint problems.

Because of the elevated position, your dog doesn’t need to lay down to eat their foods, which will be difficult for dogs with arthritis or hip dysplasia.

Another benefit is since their head is more raised as they eat from the standing position, the gravity will help to push their food naturally down the throat. This will prevent the foods from accumulating all at once in the stomach and thus minimizing the risk of bloat.

Top 5 Highest Rated Stainless Steel Dog Bowls

We’ve looked at some top-selling stainless steel dog bows on the market and selected five. Here are our reviews with some pros and cons for each bowl.

1. Our Top Choice: Basis Pet Stainless Steel Dog Bowls

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Basis Pet Dog Bowl is our top choice for the best stainless steel dog bow. It has a simple design and sturdy construction. You will be surprised at how strong the bowl is.

One dog parent reported on Amazon.com that even after 23 months of usage the bowl still looked excellent just like the first time he bought it with no dents or dings found.

Speaking of safety, the manufacturer had even gone so far as testing every batch of their 304 bowls at an independent lab to verify the occurrence of lead, mercury, and cadmium. All of the results came back negative!

2. Best Non-Skid Stainless Steel Dog Bowl: URPOWER Dog Bowls

Full Dinner Set - Set of 2 Dog Bowls (26.46 OZ for each bowl). Works as a full dinner set with food and water for one. Perfect for pets up to 70lbs.

Non-Skidding & Flipping - Silicone stand keeps the bowl from skidding on the floor and doesn't slide all over the place when your dog is eating.

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URPOWER dog bowl is an excellent choice if your dog seems unable to eat or drink without spilling their food everywhere. This bowl has non-spill non-skid silicone mat that keeps the bowl from sliding around all over the place and catches any spill from going onto the floor.

Dog parents who used this no-skid bowl were impressed with the level of grip provided by the rubber pad. People also said this bowl is super easy to fill and clean, and dishwater safe.

There were mixed reviews on the quality of the stainless steel used. Some customers wrote that they didn’t see any sign of rusting after using the bowls for months, yet a few customers said their bowls began to rust after some time.

On average, many customers who used this bowl said that their dogs went from eating two cups of food in 30 seconds to 2 minutes. They were also commented that the bowl is sturdy and fits perfectly in most elevated feeders.

You might be concerned that the bowl doesn’t have any silicone or rubber on the bottom to keep it from sliding. But since this bowl is designed to be used with raised stationary feeders in the first place, you might want to opt to skip those non-skid bottom feature this time.